Circular buffers for leaky mode displays

Abstract

A method and system for recycling signals in a leaky mode device for a holographic display or other application. A leaky mode device comprises at least a first transducer, a substrate, and a second transducer. The first transducer may be configured to receive an input signal from a signal arbiter, which forwards to the first transducer as an input signal either a new input signal or a recycled input signal (or some combination of the two). The first transducer converts the received input signal to a SAW (surface acoustic wave) and transmits the SAW through the substrate to the second transducer, which converts the received SAW to an output signal, and forwards the output signal to an amplifier, which amplifies the output signal (now a “recycled” signal) and forwards to the signal arbiter. This system facilitates persistence for points in a holographic display without the need for continually rewriting to leaky mode devices.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A leaky mode device, comprising:
 a first SAW transducer; 
 a second SAW transducer; 
 a substrate; 
 a signal arbiter; 
 an amplifier; 
 a connection between the signal arbiter and the first transducer; 
 a connection between the second SAW transducer and the amplifier; and 
 a connection between the amplifier and the signal arbiter; 
 wherein:
 the first SAW transducer and the substrate comprise a leaky mode device; and 
 the signal arbiter is configured to forward at least part of a recycled signal to the first SAW transducer. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 ; further comprising intermediate processing componentry for processing an input signal before the input signal is forwarded to the first SAW transducer. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 2 , There the intermediate processing componentry comprises at least one of an amplifier, filter, switch, impedance matching network, an arbitrary waveform generator, a dtoa converter, and an atod converter. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is at least partially a piezoelectric substrate. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the signal arbiter is configured with the capability to forward a recycled signal. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a control component in communication with the signal arbiter, wherein the control component controls the signal arbiter in selecting a signal source. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the signal arbiter is configured to modify the recycled signal. 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 7 , wherein being configured to modify the recycled signal comprises being configured to add new information on a new carrier frequency to the recycled signal. 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 7 , wherein being configured to modify the recycled signal comprises being configured to add an additional holographic element to the recycled signal. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first SAW transducer is configured to convert an input signal into a SAW. 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 10 , wherein the input signal is an RF signal. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 11 , wherein the RF input signal is an RF encoding of a chirped SAW for generating a point n a holographic display. 
     
     
       13. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the second SAW transducer is configured to convert a SAW into an output signal. 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 13 , wherein the output signal is an RF signal. 
     
     
       15. A method for recycling a SAW in a leaky mode device, wherein:
 the leaky mode device comprises:
 a first SAW transducer; 
 a second SAW transducer; 
 a substrate; 
 a signal arbiter; 
 an amplifier; 
 a first connection between the signal arbiter and the SAW first transducer; 
 a second connection between the second SAW transducer and the amplifier; and 
 a third connection between the amplifier and the signal arbiter; 
 
 the first SAW transducer and the substrate comprise a leaky mode device; and 
 the signal arbiter is configured to forward at least part of a recycled signal to the first SAW transducer; and 
 comprising:
 determining, at the signal arbiter, whether to forward as an input signal a new input signal or a recycled output signal; 
 forwarding, from the signal arbiter, the input signal to the first SAW transducer via the first connection; 
 converting; at the first SAW transducer, the input signal to a SAW; 
 transmitting the SAW through the substrate; 
 receiving, at the second SAW transducer, the SAW; 
 converting, at the second SAW transducer, the SAW into an output signal; and 
 recycling the output signal by forwarding the output signal via the second connection to the amplifier, using the amplifier to amplify it, and transmitting it to the signal arbiter via the third connection. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the substrate is at least partially a piezoelectric substrate. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the input signal is an RF signal. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the RF input signal is an RF encoding of a chirped SAW for generating a point in a holographic display. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the output signal is an RF signal. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , wherein the RF output signal is an RF encoding for a chirped SAW for generating a point in a holographic display.